The present invention relates to communications systems, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for facilitating operator assisted telephone calls, automating operator services, providing enhanced telecommunications services, and detecting, reporting and correcting operator input errors.
Computer systems have become an integral part of providing communication services, e.g., telephone services. They are frequently used by telephone operators, e.g., to service operator assisted telephone calls. Operator assisted calls include, e.g., directory assistance calls, calls requesting initiating of telephone conferences, requests for billing credit, etc.
Human telephone operators frequently work at computer systems referred to as operator workstations. These workstations are normally coupled to a telephone switch via separate bi-directional data and audio channels of a T1 link. The pair of data/audio channels used to service telephone calls and convey call audio, call data and call processing instructions between a switch and an operator workstation is commonly referred to as an operator interface. Protocols which allow an operator to communicate with a switch over such an interface are commonly referred to as operator interface protocols. In order to allow an operator to support a wide range of call processing transactions operator protocols support call transfer, billing, call connection instructions, in addition to commands which allow an operator to issue credits and to do a wide range of other call processing operations from an operator workstation.
Current automated call processing devices, including most intelligent peripherals, tend to be designed for specific functions, e.g., speech recognition, which are much more clearly defined and limited in comparison to the wide range of call processing functions a human operator working at an operator workstation is expected to perform. Fully automated devices tend to use protocols and interfaces which are more limited in terms of functionality than the operator interfaces and protocols used to interface with manned operator workstations.
A conventional telephone system 100 including manned operator workstations for servicing telephone calls, e.g., directory assistance telephone calls, is illustrated in FIG. 1.
As illustrated, the known telephone system 100 comprises a plurality of telephones 102, 104 which are coupled by POTS lines to a digital multiplexed switch (DMS) 106. The DMS 106, in turn, is coupled to an operator service center (OSC) 110 via a T1 link 108. As is known in the art, a T1 link comprises 24 communication channels, each of which may be used to communicate audio or data signals. In addition to the OSC 110, the system 100 comprises a voice function node (VFN) 112 and a listing service data base (LSDB) located at a physical, usually central site, identified as the LSDB site 114. The VFN is used for, e.g., playing prompts and providing listing information to a caller. The LSDB 116 is used to perform database look-up operations and to output both published and non-published telephone number listing information, e.g., to a telephone operator and/or the VFN 112.
The LSDB is coupled to the OSC 110, the DMS 106 and the VFN 112 by data lines 107, 109, 111 respectively. The VFN in turn, is coupled to the DMS by a voice line 113.
The OSC 110 includes various components which facilitate the servicing of a call by a human operator. The OSC 110 includes a channel bank 118, a pair of first and second protocol converters 120, 122, a local area network (LAN) 126 router 124 and a plurality of operator workstations 128, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138. While 6 operator workstations are shown, OSC""s normally include additional workstations. The maximum number of workstations is, in part, limited by the number of T1 links which are coupled to the OSC.
As discussed above, a T1 link supports 24 channels. The channel bank 118 operates to separate the channels of the T1 link 108. As is customary, in the FIG. 1 example two channels of the T1 link are used for data and the remaining channels are used for audio signals. One audio channel per operator workstation is normally employed. In FIG. 1, the individual line entering the top of each operator workstation 128, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138 represents the audio channel used by the operator workstation. The lines extending from the channel bank 118 to the protocol translators 120, 122 each represent one data channel. A single T1 data channel may be shared by multiple workstations. In the FIG. 1 system since 2 of the T1""s channels are used for data, 22 channels remain which may be used as voice channels. Accordingly, 22 operator workstations may be supported by the T1 link 108.
The protocol converters 120, 122 convert between an X.25 communication protocol used by the switch and an Ethernet protocol used by the LAN 126. The lines extending from the LAN 126 into the bottoms of the workstations 128, 130, 132134, 136, 138 represent data connections. Accordingly, each workstation is supported using one pair of audio/data connections.
The use of a router 124 to couple the LAN 126 to the LSDB is illustrated in FIG. 1. By using a router in this manner, operators working at the workstations can gain access to the LSDB site in order to obtain listing information required to service directory assistance calls.
Operator time is a large component of the cost of servicing a directory assisted telephone call. In order to reduce costs, the announcement of telephone listing information once determined through operator/customer interaction is now performed primarily by automated announcement systems which are sometimes called voice function nodes (VFNs). Because VFNs tend to be used after an operator has his/her interaction with the customer, the use of a VFN for telephone number announcement purposes represents an automated post-operator call processing operation. Such an operation is in contrast to a pre-operator call processing operation which would involve processing a call prior to it being presented to a human operator.
Directory assistance call processing using the known system 100 is exemplary of known operator assisted call processing techniques. For this reason, conventional servicing of a directory assistance call by a human operator using the system 100 will now be discussed.
Before a human operator can service calls, the operator must first login on the operator workstation. Operator login is normally initiated on a workstation 128, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138 in response to the workstation detecting the manual insertion of a operator headset connection into a port on the workstation. In response to the human input, the operator workstation transmits a signal to the DMS indicating that the operator position is manned and ready to service calls. The login signal to the DMS includes an operator position ID which uniquely identifies the operator workstation. Because each operator workstation 128, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138 provides a position where a single operator can work, a conventional operator workstation is sometimes referred to as an operator position. It also may include a signal indicating the types of calls which the operator is authorized to service.
Once an operator is logged in, an authorized operator can process directory assistance calls. The DMS 106 maintains queues of calls to be processed according to call type, e.g., a queue of DA calls is maintained. As a function of operator availability, the DMS 106 assigns calls from the queues to active operator positions which are authorized to service the queued calls.
Servicing of a queued DA call by the conventional system 100, begins with the DMS 106 assigning the queued call to an available operator and connecting the call to the operator position 128, 130, 132, 134, 136, or 138 to which the call is assigned. As part of connecting the call to the operator, data including, e.g., a call ID number, ANI information, call type information, etc. is transferred to the assigned operator position via the data connection with the LAN 126 while a voice connection is established via the voice channel which exits between the channel bank 118 and the operator position.
In response to receiving the DA call, the operator requests city and listing (name) information from the caller. Upon receiving an audio response to the inquiry, the operator manually keys in the listing information and initiates a listing service database (LSDB) look-up operation in an attempt to retrieve the requested listing information. The look-up request is transmitted via the LAN 126 and router 124 to the LSDB 116 which returns listing information to the operator.
The operator reviews the returned listing information and selects one returned listing as the listing to be provided to the caller. Once the listing selection has been made, the operator initiates a release of the call. In addition at sometime during the DA call, in response to operator input, the operator workstation transmits billing information to the DMS.
In response to the listing selection information and release signal, the LSDB sends data to the DMS instructing the switch to release the DA call being serviced from the operator workstation. The signal to the DMS normally includes the operator position ID and the call ID. The LSDB also sends a signal to the VFN indicating the listing information, e.g., telephone number, and message to be provided to the caller. The call ID is normally part of this message as well.
The VFN which is connected to the DMS then provides the listing information to the caller via an audio connection with the DMS 106. Upon hearing the audio message and listing information the caller normally hangs up terminating the call. The DMS 106 uses the billing information received in regard to the call to initiate a billing operation resulting in the caller being charged, if appropriate, for the DA call.
As discussed above, for cost reasons it is desirable to eliminate or minimize the amount of human operator time required to service calls such as DA calls. Accordingly, improved methods and apparatus for servicing such calls which minimize operator time and/or involvement in servicing such calls are desirable.
Conventional operator workstations include a fair amount of computer processing power, memory, and interface hardware. Such workstations represent significant capital investments for many telephone companies. Telephone companies need to have a sufficient number of operator workstations to support the peak demands during the day for operator services. During off-peak times, substantial numbers of operator workstations sit idle. Even during periods of peak demand for operator services, at least some operator workstations will normally be idle due to unexpected operator absences or because additional workstations are normally provided in the event that some workstations become unusable due to hardware failures. Thus, many conventional operator workstations go unused during significant portions of a day.
In order to maximize the return on purchased equipment, it is desirable that equipment be utilized to the fullest extent possible, i.e., that it not be sitting idle for significant portions of the day.
Accordingly, there is a need for methods and apparatus which would allow the use of all or some operator workstations to support billable call processing operations when not being manned by a human operator.
As competition between telephone service providers continues to grow, to remain competitive telephone companies must look not only to ways of minimizing the costs associated with providing existing services but to ways of creating new revenue sources. Providing of enhanced telephone services sometimes referred to as extended telephone services, e.g., call messaging or voice dialing, can result in new revenue sources. In addition, they can be used by telephone companies to distinguish themselves from competitors which can not or do not offer comparable services.
Accordingly, new enhanced telephone services which can be billed to customers are desirable as well as methods and apparatus for providing such services.
The present invention is directed to methods and apparatus for providing operator services to callers in a fully or partially automated manner. In addition, the present invention is directed to methods and apparatus for providing new telephone services, e.g., the forwarding of messages to non-published telephone number customers. It is also directed to methods and apparatus that can be used to detect, report and correct operator input errors.
Automated, e.g., unmanned, apparatus of the present invention are capable of interfacing with conventional telephone switches using known operator protocols. This allows automated devices of the present invention to appear to existing telephone switches as manned operator positions capable of servicing telephone calls. In accordance with the present invention, the unmanned apparatus of the present invention is assigned one or more operator position identifiers conventionally used to identify manned operator positions. The interaction of the automated apparatus of the present invention and a telephone switch involves the use of the assigned operator position identifiers to identify the apparatus of the present invention to the switch as one or more operational operator positions. Once logged in with the telephone switch, the apparatus of the present invention can service calls normally handled by human operators, without the need for a human operator""s involvement.
The unmanned automated apparatus of the present invention can interact with a caller, collect information from the caller in an interactive manner, and complete a call, including the performing of billing functions, without human operator input or involvement. The automated apparatus of the present invention may be implemented as part of an automated operator service center having a telephone switch interface which utilizes the same voice/data connections and protocols as a conventional manned operator service center. Within the automated operator service center, a computerized device referred to herein as an automated function node can be used in combination with a speech platform to provide operator services normally provided by one or more manned operator workstations.
Alternatively, the apparatus of the present invention can be used to automate portions of an operator assisted telephone call, before and/or after a human operator performs some action to service the telephone call. When a human operator is involved in servicing a call that is also being serviced by the automated system of the present invention, one or more call transfers may occur between the automated apparatus of the present invention and a manned operator workstation. Such transfers may involve the use of a telephone switch to transfer the call between, e.g., to and/or from, the manned operator workstation and the apparatus of the present invention, and vice versa, in the way a call is currently transferred between one manned operator workstation and a second manned operator workstation. In various embodiments of the present invention, the described telephone switch transfer operation occurs in conjunction with the new and novel transfer of data between the manned operator workstation and the automated system of the present invention via a local area network used to couple the two together. Because data can be transferred between the automated device of the present invention and a manned workstation, the apparatus of the present invention can be used to facilitate processing of calls involving human operators as well as performing fully automated call processing operations.
Various embodiments of the automated apparatus of the present invention incorporate speech recognition/generation devices. Speech compression and silence removal circuits may also be used, e.g., to process interactively collected data before presenting it to a human operator.
In one particular embodiment, directory assistance calls are first connected by a telephone switch to the automated apparatus of the present invention before being presented to a human operator. In such an embodiment the apparatus of the present invention prompts the caller for city and listing (name) information. The verbal response is compressed and silence is removed. It is then recorded. The call is then transferred by the automated apparatus of the present invention to a manned operator workstation by sending a transfer command to the telephone switch which presented the call to the automated apparatus. In addition to transferring the call, the apparatus transmits the compressed, silence removed speech to the human operator assigned to service the call, e.g., via a T1 connection. The operator listens to the compressed silence removed speech and then proceeds to do a data look-up operation and service the call in the usual manner. By performing the described pre-operator call processing operation, the amount of human operator time required to service the call is reduced.
In another embodiment, in addition to performing the data compression and silence removal operation, a speech recognition operation is performed and a listing data base look-up operation is automatically initiated based on the results of the speech recognition operation. The results of the look-up operation are then presented to the operator to which the call is transferred in addition to the compressed silence removed speech. The human operator reviews the results and can accept them if accurate. Otherwise the operator can initiate a new look-up operation. Since, in many cases, the result of the look-up operation presented to the operator will be correct, average operator time for servicing DA calls is reduced.
In one embodiment were DA assistance calls are serviced in a fully automated manner, the results of the automated look-up operation are presented to the caller using a text to speech system. The caller is requested to indicate whether or not the results are accurate or to select one of multiple returned entries. If the caller selects a returned result or acknowledges that the listing is correct, the automated system of the present invention instructs the telephone switch to bill the customer for the DA call and to terminate the call connection. In this manner a DA call can be completed in an automated manner without human operator involvement. If, after being presented with the listing information, the caller remains on the line and fails to acknowledge the accuracy of the results or select one of the returned listings, the call is transferred to a human operator who is provided with the recorded compressed silence removed speech and listing results.
Another feature of the present invention is directed to providing a message forwarding service to directory assistance customers requesting a non-published telephone number. In accordance with the present invention, directory assistance calls requesting non-published number information are transferred to an automated apparatus of the present invention if they are not already being serviced by such an apparatus. A directory assistance non-published number DANP application executed on the automated apparatus of the present invention then performs a database look-up operation to obtain information on the non-published number customer the caller is requesting information on. If the non-pub number customer subscribes to a message forwarding service, the caller is provided the opportunity to leave a message for the non-pub number subscriber which will be forward by the service. In this manner, a caller requesting non-published number information is provided an opportunity to send a message to a non-pub number customer without that customer""s telephone number being disclosed. If the non-pub customer does not subscribe to a message forwarding service, the DA call is terminated with the caller being played a message indicating that the requested listing corresponds to a non-published number which can not be provided. The non-published message forwarding service of the present invention represents a new billable service which can serve as an additional revenue source to telephone companies which provide the service.
While the apparatus of the present invention can be used to process calls in an automated manner, in various embodiments automated function nodes of the present invention are implemented in a manner which allows them to be used as operator workstations when manned or as automated call processing devices when unmanned or as a combination of manned/unmanned operator positions. Because the automated function nodes of the present invention can be used as manned or unmanned devices, they can be utilized to perform billable call processing operations or reduce the amount of human operation time required to perform such operations, when not being used as manned operator workstations. Accordingly, the apparatus of the present invention can be used as an alternative to conventional manned workstations while offering the distinct advantage of being able to perform useful call processing functions even in the absence of a human operator.
In addition to being suitable for performing pre and post human operator interaction call processing operations, the automated apparatus of the present invention is well suited for supplementing the call processing performed by a human operator while the operator is servicing a telephone call. For example, both caller and operator input can be monitored by the apparatus of the present invention while a call is being serviced by a human operator. Operator input can be checked by the apparatus of the present invention for errors, e.g., typing and spelling errors. Corrections to operator input can be transmitted to the manned operator workstation via a LAN. The apparatus of the present invention may also suggest workstation input to a telephone operator in response to operator input or signals received from the caller. Providing suggested input which can be accepted or rejected by an operator offers the opportunity to reduce the number of keystrokes which must be entered by an operator to complete a call transaction.
Because the apparatus of the present invention supports real time monitoring of human operator input, real time error reports can be generated and transmitted to a human supervisor working in the same office as the monitored human operator. Real time error reporting of errors, e.g., within seconds or minutes of when they occur, allowing for prompt human operator supervision and investigation of the error source, whether human or mechanical. This facilitates rapid detection of, e.g., operator drug and alcohol problems, as well as mechanical sources of error such as defective workstation keyboards.
Numerous additional features, embodiments, and advantages of the methods and apparatus of the present invention are set forth in the detailed description which follows.